Bumble to Host Third Hive Event at SXSW Conference

25th February 2020 Amy Hetherington

For the third South by South West (SXSW) conference in a row, Bumble will turn a local venue into one of its popular Hive events. Following the success of 2019, the female-first social app is taking over Jo’s Coffee in Downtown Austin, Texas.

The Hive will aim to be a place where Bumble users can get away from the stresses of everyday life and enjoy a relaxing environment. It will be open to the public from 13th-18th March, 7am-7pm everyday.

“We are so excited to be back at Jo’s Coffee this year and re-open the Bumble SXSW® Hive,” said Chelsea Cain Maclin, Bumble’s Vice President of Marketing.

“Given the love and enthusiasm we received from our visitors last year, we wanted to show up in a way that’s authentic to our brand and hometown of Austin, Texas.”

Visitors can enjoy complimentary coffee and a range of programmes around this year’s theme: The Future of Connection, which focuses on making relationships “healthy, safe, and equal.”

Activities will include a live podcast conversation with actress-activist Sophia Bush, and discussions with actress-author, June Diane Raphael, and author Kirsten Karchmer.

In the evenings of the 13th, 17th and 18th March, Bumble will host extra activities featuring special guests, including the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tayla Parx. These activities will only be open to SXSW badge-holders and Bumble users.

Complimentary piercings, birth chart and tarot card readings will also be available to the general public, along with individual website consultation sessions where female business leaders can learn how to increase their online presence.

Bumble has organised the Hive in partnership with Accomplice, a strategic experience design firm.

Accomplice Co-founder, Ben McCraw, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be part of this project. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves into the Hive entirely from both a digital and physical perspective.”

Those interested should visit bumble.com/sxsw2020 for all upcoming information and programme details.

The Bumble Hive was held at Jo’s Coffee last year, which offered free breakfast tacos and cups of coffee to all Hive visitors. Bumble also put on a dog-lovers brunch, a friendship bracelet making session and a celebration of female gamers.